Presidency University entrance tests in April
The next year’s admission test for undergraduate courses at Presidency University will be held on April 11 and 12. This year, the tests were held in June. Tests were advanced because many students get admitted elsewhere by the time the results are declared. Authorities hope that an early admission test will help them draw a larger number of bright students. The state joint entrance examination board, which has been conducting the Presidency’s admission since 2015, announced the dates of next year’s exams.
Heavy-duty machine for bridge demolition
A machine called jaw crusher will be used to tear down the 57-year Tallah bridge to minimise the amount of dust released in the air and vibration caused by demolition. The state government decided to bring down the north Kolkata bridge, which has lost much of its load-bearing capacity and is in danger of collapse. Demolition work is expected from the first week of January. A jaw crusher works like a shark opening its jaws to gobble up concrete and steel. It produces much less vibration compared with other crusher machines, said a PWD official. Besides, the machine will help speed up the demolition. Engineers had recommended demolition of the bridge since they feared that the structure was beyond repair and could collapse even under the weight of pedestrians.
‘Don’t stop dialogues’
Former President Pranab Mukherjee urged business houses to speak out if they find something is not going in right directions. “You must hold dialogues with the policymakers. If you stop dialogue, you come to an end. If you carry on a dialogue, whatever the desperate situation, you will be able to find out a solution. …There has been no dearth of whistleblowers to point out things that are not in the correct direction,’’ Mukherjee told the gathering on the occasion of 113th-year celebration of National Insurance Company.
Safety at fingertip
Bondhu, the citizen-friendly app of Kolkata Police, will now connect users to the police headquarters at the tap of a button. The app was re-launched with a host of new features by Kolkata Police chief Anuj Sharma. The most effective security feature that the re-launched app is equipped with is a ‘panic button’, which if pressed will connect the caller to the Lalbazar police headquarters. It will also reveal the caller’s location to officers at Lalbazar and help the police to act promptly even if the caller is not in a position to share any detail, said a police officer.
Pranab Mondal
Our correspondent in West Bengal
pranabm@newindianexpress.com